


A Tactician's Affection

by WhatAGoodIdeaThisIs



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M, M/M, There will be more tags, eventual angst, minor character (enemy) death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-04-25 09:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4955176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatAGoodIdeaThisIs/pseuds/WhatAGoodIdeaThisIs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin finds himself with an unintended infatuation. This doesn't bode well for a person so used to planning and tactics... especially since he thought he had everything figured out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest, I'm not sure what to name this story. It's gonna be a couple chapters long and reflect (loosely) what I saw when I played through chapters 1-11. Be ready for some angst.

Robin's mind raced as the battle raged.

"Ricken, keep your distance! Sully, take out that archer before he reaches Sumia!"

It was chaos. What started out as a mere skirmish with a group of Risen quickly took a turn for the worst. The opposition's overwhelming numbers were pulling the Shepherds' forces apart, digging into their battle formations, double- and triple-teaming soldiers on the front lines, forcing their way through to get at the vulnerable long-distance fighters in the back.

"Lissa, Lon'qu is injured!"

He had to keep everyone alive, though. He had to.

Focus.

Suddenly, he felt something forcefully impact his lower back, like a strong punch. His legs shuddered… and he felt something sickeningly warm flooding down his body. Robin’s eyes snapped up in appalled realization.

He was so busy trying to keep everyone else safe… he had neglected his own safety… 

He had let a Risen soldier stab him from behind.

The world wavered, then swam in front of Robin's eyes. He felt as that sickening warmth seeped at an alarming rate from the wound in his back. His legs shook again, much more aggressively, and Robin could no longer stay upright. He collapsed to the earth with a choked cry, the taste of blood filling his mouth.

"Robin!" he heard someone yell... But it sounded distant, muffled… as though Robin's ears were submerged in water.

He opened his mouth to respond, but could only cough feebly, feeling the sickening warmth seep down his chin. He gazed up at his hazy, distorted surroundings, blinking his eyes blearily. It was beginning to be a chore to breathe…

There was muffled pounding all around him, a thump next to him... he struggled to turn his head to look. What was going on? What… who…?

Suddenly, though faintly, he felt arms around him, supporting him. Robin squinted as a shadowy form drifted into sight.

"Robin, Robin! Stay with me! Keep your eyes open!" the form cried with a distant voice, "You can't die!"

Chrom...? Robin wasn’t sure with his faint senses. He blinked again, trying to sharpen his sight in vain.

He vaguely felt a hand in his hair, then felt as his head was slowly tipped back. Something warm fell down his throat, then an arm was around his middle, and his face pressed against something warm… comforting.

"You'll be alright. Just keep breathing..." The distant voice said softly, "You'll be alright."

Robin could do nothing but trust it at this point, and he focused solely on taking in difficult breaths and keeping his heavy eyelids open.

Then…

Robin suddenly felt his senses sharpen at a sickening speed. The blur of the world brightened and crystallized before him. The smell of blood and dust instantly attacked his nostrils. The sounds, which had been distant, hazy, roared to life in his ears. Steel clashing against steel, the howls of man and monster alike, and the explosive bursts of magic cracked against his eardrums. Robin felt almost dizzy at the sudden clarity of everything, and he instinctually pressed closer into the comforting warmth that surrounded him.

He felt a relieved exhale against his shoulder, and a hand brushed lightly against his back, moved under his long jacket, pressed against his flesh that had been pieced by the enemy's blade.

"You're alright, you’re alright…” Chrom’s voice repeated quietly.

Chrom. Chrom...

Robin was suddenly aware that he was cradled in Chrom's arms, his face buried in the crook of the prince's neck.

Chrom pulled back, smiling, looking over Robin with tears of relief trapped in his eyes, "Thank the gods," he said softly.

Robin stared at him, shuddering slightly from his near-death experience. The warm something down his throat, it must have been Concoction. But if he remembered correctly, Chrom only had one left...

"…you saved my life," Robin said.

"Of course," Chrom replied.

At those words, Robin could feel his heart stutter.

Suddenly, there was a burst of magic above their heads, causing both of them to jump. Robin cursed under his breath. The skirmish was far from over…

He quickly got to his feet and brushed himself off, and Chrom did the same… and they were back in their roles.

…though he couldn’t help but steal another glance at Chrom before issuing his next order.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey... Chrom?"  
  
"Yes?" Chrom asked as he stooped down to pick up a couple dry sticks from the forest floor. As he straightened, he gave Robin an expectant grin.  
  
Robin smiled slightly as Chrom's eyes met his, then his gaze lowered back to the underbrush. His boot shuffled nervously through some dry leaves, though he figured it could easily be disguised as an attempt to kick up any hidden twigs... He always found it so surreal how easily they could shift between fighting for their lives and doing mundane chores like collecting kindling.  
  
He sighed, letting his eyes rove the forest floor, “It’s just… I wanted to thank you. You know, for earlier this afternoon... you saved my life, and… well…I… it’s…" Robin's words trailed off into an awkward silence. He cleared his throat hurriedly and stooped to pick up a stick he had spotted.  
  
As Robin stood back up, his eyes flicked up to the canopy, and he began fiddling with the collection of twigs in his hands, "I mean, I guess it was a logical thing to do, since I'm worth way more to you alive than dead... but in any case, I'm still grateful. You know..."  
  
Robin suddenly felt Chrom's eyes on him. He looked over to see the prince staring at him with a very puzzled expression. Did Robin say something wrong...? He coughed to mask his awkwardness and hastily began speaking again in an attempt to explain further, “I... what I meant was..."  
  
"Did you think I did it purely for strategic reasons?" Chrom interrupted, still looking genuinely confused.  
  
Robin blinked. Now he was the one who was confused, "Well, I mean... uh... yes? I mean, we... You and I..." Chrom continued to stare and Robin’s voice awkwardly fell away again, this time accompanied by the reddening of his cheeks.

Suddenly, Chrom’s face broke into a smile and he laughed, which only further aggravated the color of Robin’s face.  
  
"You and I are friends," Chrom said simply, walking up and clapping Robin on the shoulder, "I saved you because you're one of my trusted companions. Not just because I think you're a valuable asset."  
  
"Well, I mean… I understand that but... I'm... er," Robin said, his thoughts muddling, "…but I'm a trusted companion because of my skills, right? Which is why were friends and why you saved me?"  
  
Chrom cocked his head as his puzzled expression returned, "No...?"  
  
"No?" Robin echoed.  
  
"Not everything is tied to strategy, Robin. I had a feeling I'd like you even before you helped us win all those battles. I like you because, well, you’re you. I’m grateful for your tactical skills, but… I consider them a bonus.”  
  
Robin frowned in confusion, "But…uh…”  
  
Chrom's expression again melted into a smile, "Come on, I think we have enough now. The others will be wondering what's keeping us so long."

Chrom motioned Robin to follow and soon they were making their way back to the Shepherds’ campsite with their collected kindling. Since they had very little of importance to actually discuss that night, the walk was a rather quiet one. Robin’s eyes trailed on the ground as he turned their brief conversation over in his head. _Friend…_

Chrom had used that word a lot, but did Robin really know what he had meant by that? It just seemed like Chrom just threw the word around so easily, Robin almost thought that, to him, it didn’t mean much of anything besides “a little more than acquaintance.” After all, he seemed to consider Robin a “friend” from the moment they met, before they knew anything about each other.

Then, they ended up falling into a rather professional relationship when Chrom realized Robin’s strategic skills. At least… that’s what Robin thought of it. A leader and his tactician, two people working together for the same goal. Of course that would be why Chrom would always want to talk to him, and to be around him, and to generally stay on good terms with him. Plus, that’s just how Chrom’s personality just… was.

For most of their relationship, Robin thought Chrom's use of the word “friend” was more or less just a label. He figured it was used since names like “tactician” or “battlefield assistant” could be quite the mouthful.

However… saving someone else at the risk of your own life was something pretty serious, especially for a crown prince.

Especially when the life being saved belonged to a mere tactician.

…but Chrom didn’t want to save Robin for his tactician skills, did he? It was for Robin himself.

He glanced over at Chrom.

…did Chrom really think he was that special?

Robin shook his head roughly to clear his thoughts. Chrom was just a good person. Of course he would try to save Robin, that’s just the sort of man he was.

He was making a bigger deal out of this than he needed to.

He should just be happy he had a friend like Chrom.

A friend…

“Let’s just bring these directly to Frederick, he’s probably antsy about not having any kindling for this long…”

Robin’s head snapped up, “Huh?”

Chrom laughed, “I was talking about the twigs... did I scare you out of some deep tactical thoughts?”

Robin shook his head, “No, no. You didn’t. Don’t worry,” he assured, looking around and realizing in surprise that they had already made it back to camp.

Chrom smiled at him, then immediately set off in hopes of finding Frederick. Robin, after realizing the prince was leaving him behind, quickly tagged along.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for taking so long with this chapter. It was written and rewritten several times, put on a shelf, and then written and rewritten several more times... and yet, it's still merely a set-up for what's to come later. I won't promise any speedy updates (since when I do that, the universe tends to make it so it won't happen) but by not promising it, perhaps I can get the next chapter out at a better pace.
> 
> Thank you very much for all of your interest in this story!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it?

Robin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked over the maps spread out on the room’s large center table. Tiny figurines in four distinct colors littered the parchment, showing the positions of the Ylissean and Feroxi soldiers, the Risen sightings, and the slow eastward advancement of the Plegian army.

Just a half hour earlier, there were several royal tacticians in the room with Robin, in tense talks deciding the best course of action to defend Ylisse’s populace from both the monstrous Risen and the new Plegian threat.

The discussions had gone on for days, deliberating where should troops be sent, how to defend Ylisse’s most vulnerable points, could the peasants to the east handle the Risen by themselves for a few days while they took care of threats elsewhere… it was exhausting work for Robin, even compared to his work on campaigns, as it took all he had to keep up with the fast-paced conversation riddled with jargon that was exchanged between strategists much older and more experienced than he was.

It didn’t help matters that he seemed to be singled out more often than anyone else. Probably as he’d be the one tactician Chrom would bring along, and the one Chrom gravitated towards the most when he was present for the strategy meetings.

At least now the room was finally quiet.

Robin finally had a chance to hear himself think.

He prodded one of the little Risen figurines absently. It had been only a few days since they had returned from their campaign the north of Ylisstol to clear out the monsters, and already more were popping up to replace them.

He glanced to the little Plegian figurines and sighed, _and now we have to deal with them, too…_

The council had agreed a few days ago that Ylisse would have to appeal to the Khans in Regna Ferox again for more aid. Robin was at least comforted with the thought that the Feroxi didn’t take very kindly to the Plegians, so the negotiations wouldn’t be too difficult from a political standpoint. The question was, how many extra soldiers were the Feroxi willing to spare, and would they be enough?  
  
Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door. Robin jumped and nearly knocked over a few of the figurines in the process.

After a few seconds, the booming knock sounded again.

Robin inwardly groaned, _Is there going to be another meeting? It’s almost sundown…_

He swallowed, and dragged his feet to the door, pausing a few seconds in a vain attempt to steel himself, and swung it open.

However, instead of seeing the several stern faces of the royal tacticians, there was Sully alone, her hand up in preparation to knock again. Robin’s eyebrows furrowed, confusion showing plainly on his face, “Sully?”  
  
"Hey Short Stuff," she said, her mouth quirking into a smile as she lowered her arm, "Haven't seen much of you since we took out those Risen last week…” she peered into the room behind Robin with a frown, “Have you been shut up here the entire time?”  
  
Robin smiled tiredly in response, shifting his weight slightly, "Well, you know how it is… we have a war to run.”  
  
"Yeah, I guess," Sully said, crossing her arms as her lower lip jutted out just slightly, "Still, sitting with a bunch of dusty old farts in these stuffy rooms day after day sure as hell can’t be good for you.”  
  
Robin laughed, "Yeah… honestly, I’m glad I’m seeing you here instead of them,” he paused, “Why did you stop by?”

“Wanted to ask if you wanted to come to the grounds and get a little training done with Stahl and me. Since we’re marching off to Regna Ferox tomorrow, I figure you’d better start getting that body back in shape.”

Robin smiled a bit more genuinely as he stepped out into the hall, “Actually, that might be just what I need.”

* * *

Their wooden swords clashed with a sharp crack. Robin had to admit, it was nice to finally be using his muscles for more than just carrying maps around.

Sully charged forward, swinging her wooden sword low at Robin’s legs. He blocked quickly, their swords ringing out with a loud clack, and Sully immediately moved to his unprotected side. Robin gave out a breathless laugh, stepping backward, swinging his sword to quickly to parry before attempting an attack of his own.

However, Sully was right. The last few days of neglecting his physical training had already begun to take their toll.

Sully effortlessly blocked and parried all of Robin’s somewhat awkward succession of attacks; not exactly in the graceful way Chrom could, but it still did the job. Sully’s ruthlessness with a sword overcame her lack of finesse with one, at least when it came to fighting with Robin. Her seeming inability to skip a day of training also helped matters.

Robin chanced a stab, and Sully countered violently, forcing the sword out of Robin’s hand, leaving him vulnerable. Not wasting a second, she prodded her wooden sword lightly against Robin’s chest, “Dead,” she declared.

Sully pulled back with a smile, “you’re getting rusty, Squirt,” she teased.

“That’s what spending days focusing primarily on strategy does to you,” Robin said, panting heavily from the workout. He stumbled back a little, plopping down on the grass, “Give me five minutes…”

“Fine,” Sully said. Her sights turned to Stahl, who had been spectating the whole match, while occasionally gnawing on a couple biscuits he had brought with him.

“How about you, Stahl? You need to practice your sword work, too.”

Stahl swallowed nervously, putting down the half-eaten biscuit in his hand, “Er… sure,” he hurried to pick up Robin’s wooden sword, and the two began their battle.

The wooden swords again clacked loudly in the evening air.

Stahl flinched as he blocked Sully’s repetitive aggressive attacks, taking a step back with every hit. Sully paused for a split second in her onslaught to catch her breath, and Stahl took advantage of it to swing… only to find his attack blocked. He jumped backwards a bit too quickly, trying to keep his distance.

Sully, on the other hand, was still moving forward, much more eager, or at least more comfortable, to engage in close combat than Stahl was.

Robin sat back, watching with a smile as he regained his breath.

Though it wasn’t exactly predictable, over the course of living with the Shepherds, Robin found that he really liked being around the cavaliers.

Stahl was easy to get to know, and easy to like. They had bonded over their mutual enjoyment of bear jerky, and the rest seemed to fall right into place. Though most people seemed to wave off Stahl as merely the guy who enjoyed a good meal, his calmness and surprisingly astute nature were more than welcome in Robin’s life.

Sully, Robin knew as soon as he saw her, was something else. She was capable of bringing the fear of the gods into anyone who crossed her path. At first, he was rightly terrified of her, but… the terror quickly turned into admiration of her strength and character.

…and he didn’t mind admitting that he thought she was pretty. Rough around the edges, but fierce and determined… like the beauty inherent in fire.

With a shout, Sully shot past Stahl’s defenses and swung, striking Stahl hard against his side. Stahl lost his balance from the force of the blow, and landed heavily on his shoulder with a thud, “Ow!”

Sully lowered her sword, looking quite embarrassed, “Er, sorry there, Stahl.”

Stahl gave a light laugh as he sat up, rubbing his sore side, and wincing slightly as he did so, “I guess that means I’m ‘dead,’” he said. He then looked at Robin, a soft, almost apologetic expression on his face.

Robin frowned slightly in confusion.

“That reminds me… I’ve been meaning to ask you, Robin,” Stahl said quietly, massaging his side gently, “Er… how’s your back doing?”

Robin blinked, “Uh, you’re the one who's hurt.”

Stahl shook his head, “No, I mean… about the battle last week. When you were stabbed…I didn’t think a Concoction would be fast enough to heal something like that. Uh, not saying it’s a bad thing you survived! But… I just want to make sure everything’s alright.”

Robin nodded, “I think so? It stopped bleeding pretty quickly.”

“No problems with anything else? Like your heart?”

“My heart?” Robin repeated.

Stahl smiled, though looked a little nervous, “It’s probably not a big deal, but I’m not sure how a Concoction works with a mortal injury like that, that’s all. So just, if you’re having any tremors or anything…”

Robin frowned, _Tremors…_ he thought, _Come to think of it, I think I did feel something that time…_

“Stahl, you freaked him out,” Sully said, and Robin was suddenly aware that he was clutching onto the front of his coat a little too tightly.

“What? No, no, don’t worry, I’m fine,” Robin said, shaking his head quickly. He glanced up to the sky, and got to his feet, “It’s getting dark, come on. Let’s go back.”

Sully and Stahl exchanged a worried look, but they agreed that it was time to go.

The three slowly made their back to the castle together, Robin lagging behind somewhat due to his stiff, sore muscles.

* * *

 

It was dark by the time they made it to the grounds.

As they approached the walls, Robin noticed Chrom, standing by himself in the shadows, staring off into the distance. Robin paused. He hadn’t seen Chrom since that morning, as he was busy getting everything ready for the Shepherds to march to Regna Ferox tomorrow… Robin looked back at Sully and Stahl, who were walking ahead without him.

He decided to go ask Chrom what was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, wow, this one was a long one, but it's also where the story finally intersects with canon events. Thank you very much for your patience, it took me so long to get this up, jeez...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long one guys! And a bit quicker than last time, too! I said I'd try to make a schedule, and darn it, I'm going to try to make good on that. Not too many feelings here, mostly a long battle sequence with canon events sprinkled in, but I hope you all enjoy it!

Lightning burst out of Robin’s hand, sending an enemy soldier flying into the stone wall behind him with a loud crack. The soldier’s body fell heavily to the floor, motionless, but Robin didn’t have any time to celebrate his victory.

The chaos of the battlefield was even worse to deal with in the close quarters just inside Ylisse’s castle walls. The sounds of battle were amplified by the hard stone surroundings, and the walls horribly obstructed Robin’s view of the whole battlefield. Robin was at least grateful of the vantage point he was provided by sitting on the back of Sully’s horse.

It was almost hard to believe that not even an hour before, he had been talking to Chrom about the march on Regna Ferox… Marth had shown up then, and said there was a plot to kill the Exalt that night, then, revealed herself to be a woman, and suddenly, the assassins were pouring into the grounds after the Exalt like a colony of rats after an open package of cheese.

Everything kept happening much too fast for his taste.

Robin’s eyes scanned the battle quickly, “Lissa, be careful! Take a few steps back! Stahl, keep her safe!” His eyes caught on Marth, who was busy pacing about Emmeryn’s door. She wouldn’t listen to his orders, but she could take care of herself. Robin was at least comforted by the fact that she seemed at home on the battlefield. He turned to the others, “Lon’qu, you—“

The horse suddenly moved beneath Robin, and he impulsively threw his arms around Sully’s waist to steady himself. Sully didn’t seem to mind, she was busy cutting down a soldier who had gotten too close for comfort.

Robin straightened himself nervously, smoothing out his clothes, “Er, nice one,” he commented.

“Thanks,” Sully replied, eyes already trained on her next target.

Frederick then thundered past, skewering an assassin, the one Sully had her eye on, viciously as he went. Before Robin could yell a word of encouragement, Frederick was riding up to him, “Robin!” he shouted, steadying his mount, “Where’s Chrom? I thought he was holding down this side with you.”

Robin and Sully exchanged a confused look, and Robin immediately began looking around, straining his eyes to see if he could catch that white cape, the gleaming of Falchion, anything… but. He didn’t see him anywhere.

“I… he’s not here?” Robin asked a little helplessly, looking around. He thought he had just seen him a moment ago… where could he have…?

Frederick turned to look down the hall before them, “He may have he has run off in a hurry to take out the assassins outside,” he said, “It’s a… noble thing to do, and very much like him, but since these people are trying to take out the Exalt, I doubt they’d show any mercy to the Exalt’s kin,” Frederick looked incredibly worried, “Permission to go look for him,” he said haltingly.

“No,” Robin replied immediately.

Frederick looked taken aback.

Robin continued quickly, “Er, we need you here to back up the rest of the Shepherds… they need your protection right now… Sully and I will go and find Chrom for you.”

Frederick didn’t look reassured, “But-“

“Don’t worry, Frederick. We’ll be fine,” Sully said, “I trust this little guy. He hasn’t been wrong yet.”

Frederick frowned deeply, but nodded, “Fine. I’ll continue to hold down this area. You make sure you get back safely.”

“Will do,” Robin said, and Sully took off down the hall, attracting the eyes of the other Shepherds as they went, one of which, unfortunately, included Ricken.

“Robin, Sully! Wait! Where are you going?” Ricken called, suddenly trying to chase after them with all the speed his comparatively short human legs could allow, carrying him farther and farther away from the other Shepherds.

Sully steadied her horse, “We really can’t stop to chat, Ricken,” she said tensely, “we have to go find Chrom. He’s gone missing.”

“Chrom…? Let me come along, too. I can help!” Ricken cried out, holding his tome aloft, “If he can see what a good mage I am, with his own eyes, for SURE he’ll be able to treat me just as seriously as everyone else!”

Robin frowned and shook his head roughly, “No. This isn’t a game. Stay back here with the others and guard the Exalt. We need as many people as possible here, and I don’t think your defenses will be enough to come with us. Join back up with the others, it’s dangerous enough as it is you being out here like this.”

Ricken’s face darkened into a frown, and Robin realized he should have been more careful with his wording, “Not that you’re weak, by any means, Ricken! We just-“

“We’re wasting time,” Sully interrupted, and abruptly spurred her horse onward, out into the corridors that lead into the courtyard.

As soon as they got there, a couple fighters ran up to meet them in the hall. Sully was prepared to stop to battle, but the fighters seemed uninterested in them, sparing them possibly half a glance before barreling past them deeper into the corridor. Robin awkwardly took out his thunder tome, and tried to launch some lightning after them in a vain attempt to weaken them before they made it to the rest of the Shepherds.

“Don’t worry about them,” Sully shouted, “Frederick and the others can handle—“

Suddenly, there was a loud shout from the hallway behind them. Robin’s throat shuddered in anxiety. It was young. Familiar. Too familiar.

“Ricken?”

Sully looked back, “The runt didn’t try to follow us, did he?”

“Maybe he didn’t make it back to the others in time,” Robin said.

Another yell echoed down the hall.

Robin immediately hopped down from the horse, “Sully, you go back and help him.”

“But—“

“Don’t worry, I can take care of myself, but I don’t think Ricken will be able to hold his own much longer, and if we both go back, we’ll lose all this ground. Hurry, bring Ricken back to the others, I’ll find Chrom.”

“…right.”

Sully took off towards the shouts, and Robin hurried forward in his own in the opposite direction. His muscles strained uncomfortably as he went, _tonight really wasn’t the best night to train as hard as I did…_

No matter. Robin could handle a bit of discomfort.

Chrom… he had to find Chrom.

He rounded a corner, and immediately ran headfirst into a band of thugs: two archers, and a fighter.

Robin stumbled backwards in surprise. How could he have been so stupid? In his haste, he had forgotten to take proper precautions… and with three against one, they had the upper hand.  

He quickly pulled out his thunder tome, and sent a burst of electricity at one of the archers. Oddly, he crumpled as quickly as the lightning hit him. Perhaps he was already weakened by somebody else…

Before Robin could even ponder what that meant, the other fighters advanced on him, their weapons at the ready. Robin hurried backwards, sending a burst of electricity at the other archer, who faltered before he could send an arrow his way, looking winded.

The third man, the fighter, was not intimidated, and rushed forward into cleaving distance, his axe aloft, glinting harshly in the torchlight. Robin quickly drew his bronze sword. Magic wouldn’t be able to help him in this scenario, but maybe he could block…

 _A successful attack this close would be fatal for sure_.

Robin stumbled backwards, holding his sword in front of him, _It won’t be successful._ _I can do this. I can block him. Just be focused…_

The man swung back his axe, a glint of bloodlust deep in his eyes.

Robin tried to keep from flinching.

“HAAH!”

Robin’s eyes snapped shut unbidden, and he swung his sword blindly to block the axe…

But it never came. His sword caught only air, and his body remained in one piece.

Robin’s eyes opened to see the man, frozen in place, his face pure white, in a perfect picture of shock. He dropped his axe and sank to his knees, and fell down dead.

Behind him, lowering his gleaming sword was…

“Chrom!” Robin cried.

“Robin!” Chrom smiled in return. His face then fell to a worried frown, “Are you alone out here?”

Robin, still shaking from yet another near death experience, tried to reply, “Well… I had Sully with me, but then…” He paused as a thought struck his mind, “Wait, what about you? Why are _you_ all al—huh?”

It was then that Robin realized that Chrom most definitely was not alone. Two strangers, who seemed to be his allies, flanked him; one, a red-haired man chewing what appeared to be a toothpick with an iron sword at his side, and the other, a wild looking woman who appeared unarmed, but unfazed. Were they also Shepherds?  But he had never seen them before. Robin thought he knew all the Shepherds by now…

“Who…?” Robin began, a little at a loss.

Chrom jumped a little, “Oh right, sorry, that was rude of me. This is Gaius and this is Panne,” Chrom said, motioning to each in turn, “They’ve decided to join us to protect Emmeryn.”

Robin blinked several times. Even in life or death situations, Chrom managed to charm people onto his side.

Gaius had moved on to crouching over the corpses, feeling around in the dead men’s pockets, “Tch, no gold. I guess that’s what’s to be expected from a bunch of thieves…” he stood up and looked over the bodies, “Wait, I remember that there were five of them before, right? What happened to the other two?”

“Well, Robin? Did the others pass by here?” Chrom asked.

Robin stared at the three of them, and then the question clicked in his mind, “Oh, right… yes… Sully and I passed by them when we were looking for you, they—“ his eyes shot wide, “Oh no! Ricken!”

“Ricken?” Chrom repeated, “What about Ricken?”

“Well--”

Suddenly, a cold laugh emanated from the shadows behind Chrom, cutting Robin’s words off completely. The four spun around, and readied themselves for battle nearly automatically.

“Who goes there?” Chrom yelled at the darkness.

The voice laughed again, softer this time, “What’s this? After all these years of searching, I’ve finally found you…”

“Who are you? What are you talking about?”

Quietly, deliberately, the voice’s owner stepped into the light.

Robin subconsciously took a step back.

The man, if one could safely call him that, was long and thin… unnaturally so. His limbs were spindly, spider-like, with gray skin and deep red glowing eyes. Though Robin was certain he would definitely remember seeing a person like that before, and was relatively confident he hadn’t… there was something frightfully familiar about him.

The man observed them all with a playful, though malicious smirk.

“Is this the boss you were talking about, Gaius?” Chrom muttered, gripping onto his sword a little tighter.

Boss? The one behind the assassination attempt?

“Right you are, dear princeling,” the man said, clapping his long, clawed hands together, “You all have something I require…” his gaze locked suddenly on Robin, “ _Two_ somethings, in all actuality.”

His hands vanished within his robe, and produced a bright red tome, “Emmeryn was supposed to be an easy target… You will pay for interfering with my designs!”

A bright burst of fire magic charged from his claws, burning through the air, straight at Chrom. Chrom put up Falchion to defend himself.

And then suddenly, a massive, mammalian creature leapt over their heads and charged the spindly man. Leaning back on its haunches, it slashed its long foreclaws viciously across the man’s thin frame. Robin staggered back in shock, “Wha…”

“Well, what are you waiting for, Man-spawn?” a voice rang out inside Robin’s head.

“Huh?”

Chrom and Gaius, however, seemed unfazed by this phenomenon. They both ran at the spindly man, screaming in unison, their swords flashing in the air before striking the man down with a vengeance.

Three on one, not exactly a fair fight.

But the man had initiated it, he had to deal with the consequences.

Chrom sighed, looking over the felled man and sheathing Falchion, “I guess that takes care of him,” he muttered. Gaius was already upon the body, digging through the robes to see if there was anything in his pockets.

Robin frowned. The man didn’t seem the type to die so easily. Though, it was possible that, due to his freakish appearance, maybe the sight of him just conjured up memories of nightmares in his mind. He prodded the man’s still boot with his bronze sword. _He did seem to know me, though…_

The large mammalian beast sniffed at the corpse curiously for a few seconds. Seeming satisfied, it hunched over, shrunk down and quite abruptly… became Panne.

Robin stared open-mouthed. A shape-shifter…?

However, he didn’t have time to gawk, as Chrom was already approaching him, “Robin, what were you saying about Ricken?”

“Oh, right! He… uh, follow me!”

* * *

 

The way back was oddly quiet. No fighters in the halls, no assassins in the shadows. No sounds of battle echoed from the hallway before them. Robin didn’t want to seem too hopeful, but… it appeared that the fight was over for now.

“Looks like they all scattered with the boss out of the way,” Gaius observed.

They came upon Emmeryn’s room, and saw the rest of the Shepherds resting there, weapons sheathed.

Yes. It was over.

“Hey! Robin!” Sully yelled, running over to him, “Thank the gods you’re still in one piece. Those fighter dastards really did a number on us back here. I was afraid you’d be mincemeat by the time we found you.”

Robin chuckled weakly, “Your fears were founded; I probably would have been cleaved in half if it wasn’t for Chrom.”

“Oh yeah?” she cocked her head and looked over at Chrom, who smiled a bit bashfully. She turned back to Robin and continued, “Oh, I got to Ricken just in time. Had to run like hell to get him to the others before they got to us, but we made it,” she motioned behind her.

Ricken was sitting against the wall, being fretted over by Maribelle, “I can’t believe you were so reckless, remember what nearly happened last time you tried to play hero? Not that I’m not grateful, but if you keep risking your life--!”

Robin smiled gratefully.

“And… Emmeryn?” Chrom asked.

“Safe and sound in her room,” Sully smirked.

Chrom let out a sigh of relief, and put a warm hand on Robin’s shoulder. Robin looked up to see Chrom smile, “We did it,” he said, “We saved her,” Robin could have sworn he felt his heart stutter again.

…maybe he should ask Stahl about this.

 _Later,_ he decided, as he was quickly rushed over to discuss things with the Exalt.


End file.
